Barley cultivar bg 2020

ABSTRACT

A barley cultivar, designated BG 2020, is disclosed. The disclosure relates to seeds, plants, and derivatives of barley cultivar BG 2020, and methods for producing a barley plant by crossing BG 2020 with itself or another barley variety. The disclosure also relates to barley varieties or breeding varieties and plant parts derived from barley BG 2020, to methods for producing other barley varieties, lines, or plant parts derived from barley BG 2020, and to the barley plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods. The disclosure further relates to hybrid barley seeds and plants produced by crossing barley cultivar BG 2020 with another barley cultivar. The disclosure relates to methods for developing other barley varieties or breeding lines derived from variety BG 2020, including cell and tissue cultures and haploid systems.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a new and distinctive barley cultivardesignated BG 2020.

BACKGROUND

There are numerous steps in the development of a novel, desirable plantgermplasm through plant breeding. Plant breeding can begin with theanalysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the currentgermplasm (e.g., seeds or plant tissue), the establishment of breedinggoals, and the establishment of breeding objectives. Then, a germplasmthat possess the traits to meet the breeding goals can be selected. Thepurpose of such plant breeding can be to create an improved combinationof desirable traits from multiple parental germplasms in a singlevariety.

Barley, a type of plant than can be bred, is an important and valuablefield crop. Barley breeders seek to develop stable, high yielding barleyvarieties that are agronomically sound and have good grain quality forits intended use. Barley varieties may differ from each other in one ormore traits and can be classified and differentiated according to thespecific traits they possess. For example, barley can be two-rowed orsix-rowed, which refers to the number and positioning of kernels on thespike (otherwise known as the head). Barley can also be classified asspring barley or winter barley, referring to the growth habit, or by theadherence of hulls on the seed, or by the type of starch in the seed.Additionally, barley varieties can be differentiated based on grainyield, beta-glucan content, lodging, heading date, plant height, awnlength, and whether the endosperm is shrunken or plump. Additionaltraits may also differentiate various barley lines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As disclosed herein, there is provided a new barley cultivar designatedBG 2020. This disclosure relates to the seeds and plants of barleycultivar BG 2020, as well as derivatives of the plants of barleycultivar BG 2020, and to methods for producing a barley plant producedby crossing the barley cultivar BG 2020 with itself or another barleycultivar.

Methods such as selfing, backcrossing, hybrid production, crosses topopulations, pedigree breeding, and similar methods using the barleycultivar BG 2020 are disclosed herein. Plants produced using barleycultivar BG 2020 as at least one parent are also disclosed herein. Thebarley cultivar BG 2020 could be used in crosses with other, differentbarley plants to produce first generation (F₁) barley hybrid seeds andplants with additional or superior characteristics. Also included in thepresent disclosure are the F₁ hybrid barley plants grown from the hybridseed produced by crossing the barley cultivar BG 2020 to a second barleyplant. Still further included in the present disclosure are the seeds ofa F₁ hybrid plant produced with the barley cultivar BG 2020 as oneparent, the second generation (F₂) hybrid barley plant grown from theseed of the F₁ hybrid plant, and the seeds of the F₂ hybrid plant.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing barleyseeds comprising crossing a plant of the barley cultivar BG 2020 to anysecond barley plant, including itself or another plant of the cultivarBG 2020. In some embodiments, the method of crossing can comprise thesteps of: (a) planting seeds of the barley cultivar BG 2020; (b)cultivating barley plants resulting from the seeds until the plants bearflowers; (c) allowing fertilization of the flowers of the plants; and(d) harvesting seeds produced from the plants.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing hybridbarley seeds comprising crossing the barley cultivar BG 2020 to asecond, distinct barley plant that is nonisogenic to the barley cultivarBG 2020. In some embodiments, the crossing comprises the steps of: (a)planting seeds of barley cultivar BG 2020 and a second, distinct barleyplant; (b) cultivating the barley plants grown from the seeds until theplants bear flowers; (c) cross-pollinating a flower on one of the twoplants with the pollen of the other plant; and (d) harvesting the seedsresulting from the cross pollinating.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for developing abarley plant in a barley breeding program comprising: (a) obtaining abarley plant, or its parts, of the cultivar BG 2020; and (b) employingthe plant or parts as a source of breeding material using plant breedingtechniques. In the method, the plant breeding techniques compriseselfing, backcrossing, hybrid production, crosses to populations,recurrent selection, mass selection, bulk selection, pedigree breeding,or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the barley plant ofcultivar BG 2020 may be used as the male or female parent.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing abarley plant derived from the barley cultivar BG 2020, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived frombarley cultivar BG 2020 by crossing a plant of the barley cultivar BG2020 with a second barley plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant withitself or a second plant to produce a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration that is derived from a plant of the barley cultivar BG 2020.In one embodiment, the method further comprises: (c) crossing theprogeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant;and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for, in some embodiments, at least2, 3, 4, or more additional generations to produce an inbred barleyplant derived from the barley cultivar BG 2020. Also provided by thedisclosure is a plant produced by this and the other methods of thedisclosure.

In another embodiment, the method of producing a barley plant derivedfrom the barley cultivar BG 2020 further comprises: (a) crossing thebarley cultivar BG 2020-derived barley plant with itself or anotherbarley plant to yield additional barley cultivar BG 2020-derived progenybarley seed; (b) growing the progeny barley seed of step (a) under plantgrowth conditions to yield additional barley cultivar BG 2020-derivedbarley plants; and (c) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (a)and (b) to generate further barley cultivar BG 2020-derived barleyplants. In some embodiments, steps (a) and (b) may be repeated at least1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more times as desired. The disclosure further providesa barley plant produced by this and the foregoing methods.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides regenerable cells foruse in tissue culture of barley plant BG 2020. The tissue culture can becapable of regenerating plants having essentially all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the barley plant disclosed herein,and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as thebarley plant BG 2020. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures canbe the head, awn, leaf, pollen, ovul, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl,seed, spike, pericarp, meristematic cell, cell, protoplast, root, roottip, pistil, anther, floret, shoot, stem, callus, or a combinationthereof. Still further, the present disclosure can provide barley plantsregenerated from the tissue cultures of the barley cultivar BG 2020.

In a further aspect, the disclosure provides a composition comprising aseed of barley cultivar BG 2020 comprised in plant seed growth media. Incertain embodiments, the plant seed growth media is a soil or syntheticcultivation medium. In specific embodiments, the growth medium may becomprised in a container or may, for example, be soil in a field. Plantseed growth media can provide adequate physical support for seeds andcan retain moisture and/or nutritional components.

In a further aspect, the disclosure provides a method of producing acommodity plant product comprising collecting the commodity plantproduct from the plant of barley cultivar BG 2020. In some embodiments,the commodity plant product can be, but is not limited to, grain, flour,bran, baked goods, cereals, pasta, beverages, malts, or medicines. Thecommodity plant product can comprise at least one cell of barleycultivar BG 2020.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure provides a barley plant comprisinga single locus conversion of the barley cultivar BG 2020, wherein thebarley plant is otherwise capable of expressing all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the barley cultivar BG 2020. Inparticular embodiments of the subject innovation, the single locusconversion may comprise a transgenic gene that has been introduced bygenetic transformation into the barley cultivar BG 2020 or a progenitorthereof. In still other embodiments, the single locus conversion maycomprise a dominant or recessive allele. The locus conversion may conferpotentially any trait upon the single locus converted plant, including,but not limited to, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistanceto bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, male fertility or sterility, andimproved nutritional quality.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above,further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by study of thedescriptions that follow.

DEFINITIONS

The following definitions are provided:

Allele. An allele is any of one or more alternative forms of a gene thatrelate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism,the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair ofhomologous chromosomes.

Awn. Awn means the elongated needle-like appendages on theflower-and-seed-bearing “head” at the top of the barley plant. Awns areattached to lemmas. Lemmas enclose the stamen and the stigma as part ofthe florets. Florets are grouped in spikelets, which in turn togethercomprise the head or spike.

Backcrossing. Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedlycrosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a firstgeneration hybrid F₁ with one of the parental genotypes of the F₁hybrid.

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). Barley yellow dwarf virus is a viraldisease transmitted by aphids. The symptoms include yellow chlorosis ofthe older leaves, stunting, sterility, and reduced kernel size.

Beta-Glucan Fiber. Beta-glucan fiber is a nonstarch polysaccharide inwhich individual glucose molecules (20,000 - 1,000,000) ae linked bybeta 1-4 and beta 1-3 linkages. Beta-Glucan is the main structuralmaterial in the cell walls of barley grain.

Beta-Glucan Percentage. Beta-glucan percentage is the percentage ofbeta-glucan fiber in barley grain.

Cell. Cell includes a plant cell, whether isolated, in tissue culture,or incorporated in a plant or plant part.

Covered Seed. Barley seed can have a cutin layer that cements the hull(lemma and palea or glumes) to the seed. The hull can only be removed byabrasive processing prior to consumption, known as pearling.

Disease Resistance. Disease resistance or disease resistant is definedas the ability of plants to restrict the activities of a specifieddisease, such as a fungus, virus, or bacterium.

Disease Tolerance. Disease tolerance or disease tolerant is defined asthe ability of plants to endure a specified disease (such as a fungus,virus, or bacterium) or an adverse environmental condition and stillperform and produce in spite of this condition.

Essentially all of the physiological and morphological characteristics.A plant having essentially all of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics means a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent, except for the characteristicsderived from the converted trait.

Foliar Disease. Foliar disease is a general term for fungal disease thatcauses yellowing or browning or premature drying of the leaves. Thedisease typically involves Septoria, net blotch, spot blotch, or scald.

Grain yield. Grain yield, also known as crop yield, is the measure ofthe yield of a crop per unit area of land cultivated and the seedgeneration of the plant itself.

Head. Head refers to a group of spikelets at the top of one plant stem.The term “spike” also refers to the head of a barley plant located atthe top of one plant stem.

Herbicide Resistance. Herbicide resistance or herbicide resistant isdefined as the ability of plants to survive and reproduce followingexposure to a dose of herbicide that would normally be lethal to theplant.

Herbicide Tolerance. Herbicide tolerance or herbicide tolerant isdefined as the ability of plants to survive and reproduce afterherbicide treatment.

Homozygous Plant. A homozygous plant is defined as a plant withhomozygous genes at 95% or more of its loci.

Hulless Seed. Barley seed can have a cutin layer that cements the hull(lemma and palea or glumes) to the seed. The absence of a cutin layer isreferred to as hulless. The loose hull can be easily removed at harvestor by minimal cleaning/processing prior to consumption. This has alsobeen referred to as naked or nude seed.

Inbred. Inbred refers to a homozygous plant or a collection ofhomozygous plants.

Insect Resistance. Insect resistance or insect resistant is defined asthe ability of plants to restrict the activities of a specified insector pest.

Insert Tolerance. Insect tolerance or insect tolerant is defined as theability of plants to endure a specified insect or pest and still performand produce in spite of the insect or pest.

Lodging. Lodging refers to the bending or breakage of the plant stem, orthe tilting over of the plant, which complicates harvest and candiminish the value of the harvested product.

Leaf Rust. A fungal disease that results in orange-red pustules on theleaf surface. Caused by Puccinia hordei.

Net blotch. Net blotch refers to a fungal disease that appears aselongated black lesions running parallel to the leaf veins withdistinctive, dark brown net-like patterns. Net blotch is caused byPyrenophora teres.

Percent Identity. Percent identity refers to the comparison of thehomozygous alleles of two barley varieties. Percent identity isdetermined by comparing a statistically significant number of thehomozygous alleles of two developed varieties. For example, a percentidentity of 90% between barley variety 1 and barley variety 2 means thatthe two varieties have the same allele at 90% of their loci.

Percent Similarity. Percent similarity refers to the comparison of thehomozygous alleles of a barley variety such as BG 2020 with anotherplant, and if the homozygous allele of BG 2020 matches at least one ofthe alleles from the other plant then they are determined to be similar.Percent similarity is determined by comparing a statisticallysignificant number of loci and recording the number of loci with similaralleles as a percentage. A percent similarity of 90% between BG 2020 andanother plant means that BG 2020 matches at least one of the alleles ofthe other plant at 90% of the loci.

Plant. Plant includes an immature or mature whole plant, including aplant from which seed, grain, or anthers have been removed. A seed orembryo that will produce the plant is also considered to be a plant.

Plant Height (Hgt). Plant height is the average height in inches orcentimeters of a group of plants, as measured from the ground level tothe tip of the head, excluding awns.

Plant Parts. Plant parts (or reference to “a barley plant, or a partthereof”) includes but is not limited to protoplasts, callus, leaves,stems, roots, root tips, anthers, pistils, seeds, grain, pericarps,embryos, pollen, ovules, cotyledons, hypocotyls, spikes, florets, awns,lemmas, shoots, tissues, petioles, cells, meristematic cells, or acombination thereof.

Powdery Mildew. Powdery mildew refers to a fungal disease that resultsin white to gray powdery pustules on the leaf blade with associatedyellowing and browning. Powdery mildew is caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei.

Progeny. Progeny includes an F₁ barley plant produced from the cross oftwo barley plants where at least one plant includes barley cultivar BG2020. Progeny further includes but is not limited to subsequent F₂, F₃,F₄, F₅, F₆, F₇, F₈, F₉, and F₁₀ generational crosses with the recurrentparental line.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Quantitative trait loci refer to geneticloci that control to some degree numerically representable traits thatare usually continuously distributed.

Scab. Scab refers to a fungal disease that causes salmon-orange sporemasses at the base of the glumes and on the seed. It may also causeshriveling of seed. Scab is caused by Fusarium graminearum.

Scald. Scald refers to a fungal disease that causes spots to develop onthe leaves during cool, wet weather. The spots are oval shaped and themargins of the spots change from bluish-green to zonated brown or tanrings with bleached straw-colored centers. Scald is caused byRhynchosporium secalis.

Septoria. Septoria refers to a fungal disease that appears as elongated,light brown spots on the leaves. It is caused by Septoria passerinii.

Single Gene Converted (Conversion). Single gene converted (conversion)plants refers to plants that are developed by a plant breeding techniquecalled backcrossing wherein essentially all of the desired morphologicaland physiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in additionto the single gene transferred into the variety via the backcrossingtechnique or via genetic engineering.

Smut, covered. Covered smut refers to a fungal disease in which massesof black spores replace the seed kernels on the head. A persistentmembrane can be ruptured during harvest to disperse spores. Covered smutis caused by Ustilago hordei.

Smut, loose. Loose smut refers to a fungal disease in which masses ofblack spores replace the seed kernels on the head. The thin membranethat covers the spores is easily ruptured and spores are disbursed bywind. Loose smut is caused by Ustilago nuda.

Spot Blotch. Spot blotch refers to a fungal disease that appears asdark, chocolate-colored blotches forming irregular dead patches on theleaves. Spot blotch is caused by Cochliobolus sativus.

Stem rust. Stem rust refers to a fungal disease that produces masses ofbrick-red pustules on stems and leaf sheaths. Stem rust can be caused byeither Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici or Puccinia graminis f. sp.secalis.

Stripe Rust. Stripe rust refers to a fungal disease that results inlight yellowish orange pustules arranged in stripes between the veins ofthe leaves. Stripe rust is caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei.

Waxy Bloom. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating that can befound on the surface of stems, leaves, and spikes. Plant parts that donot have wax are referred to as “glossy.” A synonym for presence of thewax is “glaucous.”

Waxy Seed. The endosperm of waxy seed contains waxy starch granules withlow amylase content. The lower amylase results in seed having an opaqueappearance.

Waxy Starch. Starch in grain is stored in granules that can be made ofvarying amounts of amylopectin (branched) and amylase (straight chained)starch. Waxy starch in barley has low amylase content ranging from 0 to20%.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however,that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specificdetails.

One or more examples of the subject innovation are set forth below. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the innovation, not alimitation of the innovation. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various modifications and variations may be made to thepresent innovation without departing from the scope or spirit of theinnovation. For instance, features illustrated or described as part ofone embodiment can be used on another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment.

Thus, it is intended that the present innovation covers suchmodifications and variations as come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects ofthe present innovation are disclosed in or are obvious from thefollowing detailed description. It is to be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a descriptionof exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting thebroader aspects of the present innovation.

In an embodiment, the innovation is directed to barley cultivar BG 2020,its seeds, plants, and hybrids. The presently disclosed cultivar BG 2020can show uniformity and stability for all traits, as described below.The barley BG 2020 has been self-pollinated a sufficient number ofgenerations, with attention to uniformity of plant type to ensurehomozygosity and phenotypic stability. The cultivar has been increasedwith continued observation for uniformity in appearance and performance.BG 2020 may contain plump endosperm at frequencies up to 18/10,000 seed(0.18%). BG 2020 may additionally, or alternatively, contain taller(roughly 2-4 centimeters taller) and/or long awned variants atfrequencies up to 4/10,000 plants (0.04%). BG 2020 may further contain,in some cases, a two row variant at frequencies up to 4/10,000 plants(0.04%). No other variants are known to occur and BG 2020 is a stableand uniform variety in appearance and performance.

BG 2020 is a six-row barley variety created by crossing “6B95-2482”(later purified and released as “Tradition”) with “BG 46e.” 6B95-2482 isa six-row, covered, long-awned barley. BG 46e is a two-row, hulless,spring barley developed from the cross of barley variety Prowashonupanaand barley variety CDC Fibar. Following the cross of 6B95-2482 and BG46e described above, F₁ seed was planted near Fargo, North Dakota inSeptember 2007, and F₂ seed was harvested therefrom. The F₂ seed wasplanted near Fargo, North Dakota in January 2008, and spikes wereselected from the F₂ plants based on seed phenotype and, in September2008, used to plant a bulk F₃ population near Fargo, North Dakota. InMay 2009, spikes were selected from the F₃ plants and planted as singlehead rows new Fargo, North Dakota. In May 2010, spikes were selected andplanted as F₅ in single 5’x15’ plots near Fargo, North Dakota. Desirableplants were selected, seed therefrom was planted in and replicatedtesting was performed as F₆ population in near Fargo, North Dakota inMay 2011. Desirable plants were selected, seed therefrom was planted,and replicated testing was performed in May 2015 as F₇ population acrossWashington state. In May 2016, F₈ population was planted and replicatedtesting was performed across Washington state. In May 2017, F₉population was planted and replicated testing was performed acrossWashington state. In May 2018, the F₁₀ population, purification headrows with uniform appearing strips were harvested, bulked, anddesignated ‘breeder’ seed. The seed was designated FA5S10-318. Thevariety was given the commercial designation of BG 2020.

BG 2020 is a six-row variety spring barely having a naked, shrunken seedtype and having short awns adapted to various locations, such as X, Y,and Z, by way of example. BG 2020 is a sister line of BG Katana, whichwas released in 2019. Thus, BG 2020 is most similar to BG Katana.However, a main distinguishing difference between the two lines isshrunken seed and ultra-high Beta-Glucan content of BG 2020 versus aplump and moderately-high Beta-Glucan content of BG Katana. Further, BG2020 has an average height of 33.9 inches, while BG Katana has anaverage height of 31.3 inches. The resultant BG 2020 variety alsodisplays lower grain yield than BG Katana, a lower number of bushels peracre, and a shorter period of time to heading than BG Katana. Thesedifferences in appearance were observed across 11 station years between2018 and 2020.

BG 2020 may also be said to be similar in appearance to the varieties6B95-2482 and BG 46e. While both varieties are of the six-row variety,BG 2020 has a naked and shrunken seed type with a short awn, while6B95-2482 has a covered and plump seed type with a long awn. Further, BG2020 is a six-rowed variety, while BG 46e is two-rowed. Thesedifferences in appearance were observed across 11 station years between2018 and 2020.

Some physical characteristics of BG 2020 are listed in Table 1.Comparisons between BG 2020 and other barley varieties are presented inTables 2 through 4. Those skilled in the art will recognize that theseare values that may vary due to environment conditions and that othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

BG 2020 can be characterized by a slightly waxy leaf, with a waxy head.BG 2020’s seeds can be short to mid-long and have no hairs on theventral furrow. The spike of BG 2020 can be six-rowed, with a strapshape and can have a few hairs on the rachis edge. The glumes of BG 2020can be one-half of the lemma length and can have long, semi-smooth hairsrestricted to the middle of the glumes that are equal to the length ofthe glume. The lemma can have short awns that are semi-smooth with fewteeth. BG 2020 seeds can have colorless aleurone. The stigma can havemany hairs. Additional identifying characteristics of BG 2020 areprovided below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Plant Growth Habit Spring Spike Six-row Juvenile Growth HabitErect Maturity (50% flowering) Early; averages 60 days after planting; 3days earlier than BG 012. Plant Height Semi-dwarf; averages 86 cm.; 18cm taller than BG 012. Stem Color at Maturity White Stem Exsertion (Flagto Spike at Maturity) 0-3 cm. Anthocyanin Absent Number of Nodes(Originating from Node Above Ground) 5 Collar Shape Closed Neck ShapeStraight Leaves Coleoptile Color Green Basal Leaf Sheath Pubescence atSeedling Stage Glabrous Basal Leaf Sheath Color White Flag Leaf Color atBoot Green Pubescence on Leaf (first leaf below flag leaf) Blade AbsentPubescence on Leaf (first leaf below flag leaf) Sheath Absent AuricleColor Purple Pubescence on Auricle Absent Waxiness Slightly waxy Width(First Leaf Below Flag Leaf) 14 cm. Length (First Leaf Below Flag Leaf)23 cm. Anthocyanin in Leaf Sheath Absent Spike Shape Strap Density DensePosition at Maturity Erect Waxy Bloom No waxy bloom Lateral KernelsOverlap At Tip Hairiness of Rachis Edge Covered Lemma Awns Short (Lessthan Equal to Length of Spike) Awn Surface Semi-smooth Teeth Few HairAbsent Shape of Base Slight Crease Rachilla Hairs Short Glumes LengthOne-half of Lemma Hair Covering Restricted to Middle Length of HairsShort Glume Awn Surface Semi-smooth Glume Awn Length Relative to GlumeLength Equal to Length of Glumes Stigma Hairs Many Seed Hull Type(Lemma/Palea Adherence) Naked Hairs on Ventral Furrow Absent KernelAleurone Color Colorless Kernel Length Short to Mid-Long WrinklingofHull Naked Average 1,000 Kernel Weight 26 g.

The barley cultivar BG 2020, as described above, has not been tested fortolerance to diseases. Tolerances are achievable through geneticmodification methods described below.

This disclosure is also directed to a composition comprising a seed ofBG 2020 comprised in plant seed growth media. Plant seed growth mediacan provide adequate physical support for seeds and can retain moistureand/or nutritional components. In embodiments, the plant seed growthmedia can be a soil or synthetic cultivation medium. In someembodiments, the growth medium may be comprised in a container or may,for example, be soil in a field.

This disclosure is also directed to methods for producing a barleyvariety by crossing a first parent barley variety with a second parentbarley variety, wherein the first or second barley variety is thevariety BG 2020. Therefore, any methods using the barley variety BG 2020are part of this disclosure, including selfing, backcrossing, hybridproduction, crosses to populations, recurrent selection, mass selection,bulk selection, pedigree breeding, mutagenesis, and transgenicmodification. Any plants produced using barley variety BG 2020 as aparent are within the scope of this disclosure.

Further reproduction of the barley variety BG 2020 can occur by tissueculture and regeneration to produce barley plants capable of having thephysiological and morphological characteristics of barley variety BG2020.

A further embodiment of the present disclosure is a backcross conversionof barley variety BG 2020. A backcross conversion occurs when DNAsequences are introduced through non-transformation breeding techniques,such as backcrossing. Desired traits transferred through this processinclude, but are not limited to, higher grain yield, shorter plantheight, and increased beta-glucan percentage. The trait of interest canbe transferred from the donor parent to the recurrent parent, in thiscase, the barley plant disclosed herein. Single gene traits may resultfrom either the transfer of a dominant allele or a recessive allele.Selection of progeny containing the trait of interest can be done bydirect selection for a trait associated with a dominant allele.Selection of progeny for a trait that is transferred via a recessiveallele may require growing and selfing the first backcross to determinewhich plants carry the recessive alleles. Recessive traits may requireadditional progeny testing in successive backcross generations todetermine the presence of the gene of interest.

Another embodiment of this disclosure is a method of developing abackcross conversion BG 2020 barley plant that can involve the repeatedbackcrossing to barley variety BG 2020. The number of backcrosses mademay be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or greater, and the specific number of backcrossesused will depend upon the genetics of the donor parent and whethermolecular markers are utilized in the backcrossing program. Usingbackcrossing methods, one of ordinary skill in the art can developindividual plants and populations of plants that retain at least 70%,75%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%,92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% of the genetic profile ofbarley variety BG 2020. The percentage of the genetics retained in thebackcross conversion may be measured by either pedigree analysis orthrough the use of genetic techniques such as molecular markers orelectrophoresis.

In pedigree analysis, on average 50% of the starting germplasm could bepassed to the progeny line after one cross to another line, 75% afterbackcrossing once, 87.5% after backcrossing twice, and so on. Molecularmarkers could also be used to confirm and/or determine the recurrentparent used. The backcross conversion developed from this method may besimilar to BG 2020 for the results listed in Table 1. Such similaritymay be measured by a side by side phenotypic comparison. Any suchcomparison should be made in environmental conditions that account forthe trait being transferred.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is an essentially derived varietyof BG 2020. Essentially derived varieties may be obtained for example bythe selection of a natural or induced mutant, or of a somaclonalvariant, the selection of a variant individual from plants of theinitial variety, or backcrossing. An essentially derived variety of BG2020 may further be considered as one whose production requires therepeated use of variety BG 2020 or is predominately derived from varietyBG 2020.

This disclosure is also directed to methods for using barley variety BG2020 in plant breeding. One such embodiment is the method of crossingbarley variety BG 2020 with another variety of barley to form a firstgeneration population of F₁ plants. This disclosure also includes thepopulation of first generation F₁ plants produced by this method. Thisfirst generation population of F₁ plants may comprise a substantiallycomplete set of the alleles of barley variety BG 2020. One of ordinaryskill in the art may utilize either breeder books or molecular methodsto identify a particular F₁ plant produced using barley variety BG 2020.These embodiments also include use of backcross conversions of barleyvariety BG 2020 to produce first generation F₁ plants.

A method of developing BG 2020-progeny barley plants comprising crossingBG 2020 with a second barley plant and performing a breeding method isalso disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art may cross barleyvariety BG 2020 with another variety of barley. The F₁ seed derived fromthis cross may be grown to form a homogeneous population. The F₁ seedmay contain one set of the alleles from variety BG 2020 and one set ofthe alleles from the other barley variety. The F₁ genome may be made upof 50% variety BG 2020 and 50% of the other variety. The F₁ seed may begrown and allowed to self, thereby forming F₂ seed. On average, the F₂seed may have derived 50% of its alleles from variety BG 2020 and 50%from the other barley variety, but various individual plants from thepopulation may have a greater percentage of their alleles derived fromBG 2020. The F₂ seed may be grown and selection of plants may be madebased on visual observation and/or measurement of traits. The BG2020-derived progeny that exhibit one or more of the desired BG2020-derived traits may be selected and each plant may be harvestedseparately. This F₃ seed from each plant may be grown in individual rowsand allowed to self. Then selected rows or plants from the rows may beharvested and threshed individually. The selections may again be basedon visual observation and/or measurements for desirable traits of theplants, such as one or more of the desirable BG 2020-derived traits. Theprocess of growing and selection may be repeated any number of timesuntil a homozygous BG 2020-derived barley plant is obtained. Thehomozygous BG 2020-derived barley plant may contain desirable traitsderived from barley variety BG 2020, some of which may not have beenexpressed by the other original barley variety to which barley varietyBG 2020 was crossed and some of which may have been expressed by bothbarley varieties but now would be at a level equal to or greater thanthe level expressed in barley variety BG 2020. The homozygous BG2020-derived barley plants may have, on average, 50% of their genesderived from barley variety BG 2020, but various individual plants fromthe population may have a greater percentage of their alleles derivedfrom BG 2020. The breeding process of crossing, selfing, and selectionmay be repeated to produce another population of BG 2020-derived barleyplants with, on average, 25% of their genes derived from barley varietyBG 2020, but various individual plants from the population may have agreater percentage of their alleles derived from BG 2020. Anotherembodiment of the disclosure is homozygous BG 2020-derived barley plantsthat have received BG 2020-derived traits.

The previous example can be modified in numerous ways. For instance,selection may occur at every selfing generation; selection may occurbefore or after the actual self-pollination process occurs; orindividual selections may be made by harvesting individual spikes,plants, rows, or plots at any point during the breeding processdescribed herein. In addition, double haploid breeding methods may beused at any step in the process. The population of plants produced ateach and any generation of selfing is also described herein, and eachsuch population may consist of plants containing approximately 50% ofits genes from barley variety BG 2020, 25% of its genes from barleyvariety BG 2020 in the second cycle of crossing, selfing, and selection,12.5% of its genes from barley variety BG 2020 in the third cycle ofcrossing, selfing, and selection, and so on.

Another embodiment of this disclosure is the method of obtaining ahomozygous BG 2020-derived barley plant by crossing barley variety BG2020 with another variety of barley and applying double haploid methodsto the F₁ seed or F₁ plant or to any generation of BG 2020-derivedbarley obtained by the selfing of this cross.

Still further, this disclosure is directed to methods for producing BG2020-derived barley plants by crossing barley variety BG 2020 with abarley plant and growing the progeny seed, and repeating the crossing orselfing along with the growing steps with the BG 2020-derived barleyplant from 1 to 2 times, 1 to 3 times, 1 to 4 times, or 1 to 5 times.Thus, any and all methods using barley variety BG 2020 in breeding arepart of this disclosure, including selfing, backcrossing, hybridproduction, crosses to populations, recurrent selection, mass selection,bulk selection, and pedigree breeding. Unique starch profiles, molecularmarker profiles, and/or breeding records can be used by those ofordinary skill in the art to identify the progeny lines or populationsderived from these breeding methods.

Still further, this disclosure is directed to methods for producing BG2020-derived barley plants by pedigree breeding. Pedigree breedingstarts with the crossing of two genotypes, such as BG 2020 and anotherbarley variety having one or more desirable characteristics that islacking or that complements BG 2020. If the two original parents do notprovide all the desired characteristics, other sources can be includedin the breeding population. In the pedigree breeding method, plantsexhibiting desired traits are selfed and selected in successive filialgenerations. In the succeeding filial generations the heterozygouscondition gives way to homogeneous varieties as a result ofself-pollination and selection. Typically in the pedigree method ofbreeding, five or more successive filial generations of selfing andselection is practiced: F₁ to F₂; F₂ to F₃; F₃ to F₄; F₄ to F₅; etc.After a sufficient amount of inbreeding, successive filial generationscan serve to increase seed of the developed variety. In an embodiment,the developed variety comprises homozygous alleles at about 95% or moreof its loci.

In addition, this disclosure encompasses progeny with the same orgreater grain yield of BG 2020, the same or shorter plant height, andthe same or more beta-glucan percentage of BG 2020. The expression ofthese traits may be measured by agronomic performance testing. Any suchcomparison should be made in the same environmental conditions.

This disclosure is also directed to a transgenic variant of BG 2020. Atransgenic variant of BG 2020 may contain at least one transgene butcould contain at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or moretransgenes. In another embodiment, a transgenic variant of BG 2020 maycontain no more than 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2transgenes. Another embodiment of the disclosure involves a process forproducing barley cultivar BG 2020 further comprising a desired trait.The process can comprise introducing a transgene that confers a desiredtrait to a barley plant of cultivar BG 2020. As part of the disclosure,one of ordinary skill in the art may utilize any method of producingtransgenic plants that is currently known or yet to be developed.

In another embodiment, the method may involve the creation of variantsby mutagenesis or transformation of barley cultivar BG 2020. All plantsproduced using barley cultivar BG 2020 as at least one parent areconsidered within the scope of this disclosure.

The present disclosure also provides for single or multiple geneconverted plants of barley cultivar BG 2020. The transferred gene(s) maybe a dominant or recessive allele. The transferred gene(s) may confersuch traits as herbicide tolerance or resistance, insect tolerance orresistance, tolerance or resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viraldisease, male fertility, male sterility, enhanced nutritional quality,modified fatty acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism,modified seed yield, modified protein percent, modified beta-glucanpercent, modified lodging resistance, modified lipoxygenase,beta-glucanase and/or polyphenol oxidase content and/or activity, and/orindustrial usage, or a combination thereof. The gene may be a naturallyoccurring barley gene or a transgene introduced through geneticengineering techniques.

Any method for plant transformation known in the art may be utilized inthe present innovation. The disclosure comprises transgenic methodsincluding, but not limited to, expression vectors introduced into planttissues using a direct gene transfer method such asmicroprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation andthe like. In an embodiment, expression vectors may be introduced intoplant tissues by using either microprojectile-mediated delivery with abiolistic device or by using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.Transformed plants obtained with the protoplasm of barley cultivar BG2020 are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Various genetic elements can be introduced into the plant genome usingtransformation. These elements include but are not limited to genes,coding sequences, inducible, constitutive, and tissue-specificpromoters, enhancing sequences and signal, and targeting sequences.

In embodiments, a genetic trait that has been engineered into a barleyBG 2020 plant using transformation techniques could then be moved intoanother line using traditional breeding techniques that are known in theplant breeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be usedto move a transgene from a transformed barley BG 2020 plant to anotherbarley variety and the resulting progeny would comprise a transgene.

Likewise, in an embodiment, agronomic genes can be expressed intransformed BG 2020 plants. More particularly, plants can be geneticallyengineered to express various phenotypes of agronomic interest. Throughthe transformation of BG 2020 plants, the expression of genes can bemodulated to enhance disease tolerance or resistance, insect toleranceor resistance, herbicide tolerance or resistance, water stresstolerance, agronomic traits, and/or grain quality traits, for example.Transformation can also be used to insert DNA sequences that control orhelp control male sterility. DNA sequences native to barley as well asnonnative DNA sequences can be transformed into barley and used tomodulate levels of native or nonnative proteins. Antisense technology,various promoters, targeting sequences, enhancing sequences, and otherDNA sequences can be inserted into the BG 2020 barley genome for thepurpose of modulating the expression of proteins. Exemplary genes thatcan be inserted into the BG 2020 barley genome as part of the presentdisclosure include, but are not limited to, those categorized below.

Genes That Confer Tolerance or Resistance to Pests or Disease

(A) Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often activatedby specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene(R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr)gene in the pathogen. In embodiments, a BG 2020 plant variety can betransformed with a cloned resistance gene to engineer plants that aretolerant or resistant to specific pathogen strains.

Fusarium head blight along with deoxynivalenol both produced by thepathogen Fusarium graminearum Schwabe have caused devastating losses inbarley production. Genes expressing proteins with antifungal action canbe used as transgenes to prevent Fusarium head blight. Various classesof proteins have been identified. Examples include endochitinases,exochitinases, glucanases, thionins, thaumatin-like proteins, osmotins,ribosome inactivating proteins, flavonoids, and lactoferricin. Duringinfection with Fusarium graminearum, deoxynivalenol is produced. Thereis evidence that production of deoxynivalenol increases the virulence ofthe disease. Genes with properties for detoxification of deoxynivalenolhave been engineered for use in barley. A synthetic peptide thatcompetes with deoxynivalenol has also been identified. Changing theribosomes of the host so that they have reduced affinity fordeoxynivalenol has also been used to reduce the virulence of Fusariumgraminearum.

Genes used to help reduce Fusarium head blight include, but are notlimited to, Tri101 (Fusarium), PDR5 (yeast), tlp-1 (oat), tlp-2 (oat),leaf tlp-1 (wheat), tip (rice), tlp-4 (oat), endochitinase,exochitinase, glucanase (Fusarium), permatin (oat), seed hordothionin(barley), alpha-thionin (wheat), acid glucanase (alfalfa), chitinase(barley and rice), class beta II-1,3-glucanase (barley), PR5/tlp(Arabidopsis), zeamatin (maize), type 1 RIP (barley), NPRl(Arabidopsis), lactoferrin (mammal), oxalyl-CoA-decarboxylase(bacterium), IAP (baculovirus), ced-9 (C. elegans), and glucanase (riceand barley).

(B) A gene conferring tolerance or resistance to a pest.

(C) A gene conferring resistance to such diseases as barley rusts,Septoria tritici, Septoria nodorum, powdery mildew, Helminthosporiumdiseases, smuts, bunts, Fusarium diseases, bacterial diseases, and viraldiseases.

(D) A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof, or asynthetic polypeptide modeled thereon.

(E) An insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid orjuvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or anantagonist or agonist thereof.

(F) An insect-specific peptide that, upon expression, disrupts thephysiology of the affected pest.

(G) An enzyme responsible for hyperaccumulation of a monoterpene, asesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivative,or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity.

(H) An enzyme involved in the modification, including thepost-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule. Forexample, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme,a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, aphosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, achitinase, and/or a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic.

(I) A molecule that stimulates signal transduction.

(J) A hydrophobic moment peptide.

(K) A membrane permease, a channel former, or a channel blocker.

(L) A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. Forexample, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plantcells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease developmenteffected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, aswell as by related viruses.

(M) An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom.Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in theinsect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect.

(N) A virus-specific antibody.

(O) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogenor a parasite. For example, fungal endo-alpha-1,4-D-polygalacturonasesfacilitate fungal colonization and plant nutrient release bysolubilizing plant cell wall homoalpha-1,4-D-galacturonase.

(P) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant.

(Q) Genes involved in the Systemic Acquired Resistance response and/orpathogenesis-related genes.

(R) Antifungal genes.

(S) Detoxification genes, such as for fumonisin, beauvericin,moniliformin, zearalenone, and their structurally related derivatives.

(T) Cystatin and cysteine proteinase inhibitors.

(U) Defensin genes.

(V) Genes conferring resistance to nematodes.

Genes That Confer Tolerance or Resistance to an Herbicide

(A) Acetohydroxy acid synthase. Acetohydroxy acid synthase, which hasbeen found to make plants that express this enzyme resistant to multipletypes of herbicides, has been introduced into a variety of plants. Othergenes that confer tolerance to herbicides include: a gene encoding achimeric protein of rat cytochrome P4507A1 and yeast NADPH-cytochromeP450 oxidoreductase, genes for glutathione reductase and superoxidedismutase, and genes for various phosphotransferases.

(B) An herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as animidazolinone or a sulfonylurea.

(C) Glyphosate (resistance imparted by mutant5-enolpyruvl-3-phosphoshikimate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes,respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate(phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) and Streptomyceshygroscopicus PAT (bar) genes), and pyridinoxy or phenoxy proprionicacids and cyclohexones (ACCase inhibitor-encoding genes). Glyphosateresistance is also imparted to plants that express a gene that encodes aglyphosate oxido-reductase enzyme. In addition, glyphosate resistancecan be imparted to plants by the over-expression of genes encodingglyphosate N-acetyltransferase. Exemplary genes conferring resistance tophenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones, such as sethoxydim andhaloxyfop, are the Accl-S1, Accl-S2, and Accl-S3 genes.

(D) An herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbAand gs+genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene).

(E) Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox). Protox is necessary for theproduction of chlorophyll, which is necessary for all plant survival.The protox enzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidalcompounds. These herbicides also inhibit growth of all the differentspecies of plants present, causing their total destruction.

Genes That Confer or Improve Grain Quality

(A) Genes that alter fatty acids. For example, fatty acids may bealtered by: (1) down-regulation of stearyl-ACP desaturase to increasestearic acid content of the plant, by for example, transforming a plantwith a nucleic acid encoding an anti-sense of stearyl-ACP desaturase;(2) elevating oleic acid via FAD-2 gene modification and/or decreasinglinolenic acid via FAD-3 gene modification; (3) altering conjugatedlinolenic or linoleic acid content; and/or (4) altering LEC1, AGP, Dekl,Superall, milps, and various Ipa genes such as Ipal, Ipa3, hpt or hggt.

(B) Genes that alter phosphorus content. For example, phosphorus contentmay be altered by: (1) introduction of a phytase-encoding gene, whichwould enhance breakdown of phytate and add more free phosphate to thetransformed plant; and/or (2) up-regulation of a gene that reducesphytate content.

(C) Genes that alter carbohydrates. This can be effected, for example,by altering a gene for an enzyme that affects the branching pattern ofstarch or a gene altering thioredoxin Bacillus subtilis levansucrasegene.

(D) Altered antioxidant content or composition, such as alteration oftocopherol or tocotrienols.

(E) Altered essential seed amino acids.

Genes That Control Male Sterility

There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterilityavailable, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations withinthe genome that confer male sterility. In addition to these methods, asystem of nuclear male sterility may be used, which system includes:identifying a gene that is critical to male fertility; silencing thisgene; removing the native promoter from the gene and replacing it withan inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineered gene backinto the plant; and creating a plant that is male sterile because theinducible promoter is not “on,” resulting in the male fertility gene notbeing transcribed. Fertility may be restored by inducing, or turning“on,” the promoter, which in turn allows the gene that confers malefertility to be transcribed.

(A) Introduction of a deacetylase gene under the control of atapetum-specific promoter and with the application of the chemicalNi-Ac-PPT.

(B) Introduction of various stamen-specific promoters.

(C) Introduction of the barnase and the barstar genes.

Genes That Create a Site for Site Specific DNA Integration

This includes the introduction of FRT sites that may be used in theFLP/FRT system and/or Lox sites that may be used in the Cre/Loxp system.Other systems that may be used include the Gin recombinase of phage Mu,the Pin recombinase of E. coli, and the R/RS system of the pSRi plasmid.

Genes That Affect Abiotic Stress Resistance

(A) Genes that affect abiotic stress resistance (including but notlimited to flowering, seed development, enhancement of nitrogenutilization efficiency, altered nitrogen responsiveness, droughtresistance or tolerance, cold resistance or tolerance, and saltresistance or tolerance) and increased yield under stress. For example,water use efficiency can be altered through alteration of malate. Inaddition, various genes, including CBF genes and transcription factors,can be effective in mitigating the negative effects of freezing, highsalinity, and drought on plants, as well as conferring other positiveeffects on plant phenotype. Abscisic acid can be altered in plants,resulting in improved plant phenotype, such as increased yield and/orincreased tolerance to abiotic stress. Cytokinin expression can bemodified resulting in plants with increased stress tolerance, such asdrought tolerance, and/or increased yield. Nitrogen utilization can beenhanced and/or nitrogen responsiveness can be altered. Ethylene can bealtered. Plant transcription factors or transcriptional regulators ofabiotic stress can also be altered.

(B) Improved tolerance to water stress from drought or high salt watercondition.

(C) Improved water stress tolerance through increased mannitol levelsvia the bacterial mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene.

Other genes and transcription factors that affect plant growth andagronomic traits such as yield, flowering, plant growth, lodging, and/orplant structure, can be introduced or introgressed into plants.

Genes That Confer Agronomic Enhancements, Nutritional Enhancements, orIndustrial Enhancements

Genes that alter enzyme activity for improved disease resistance and/orimproved plant or grain quality may be introduced or introgressed intoplants. For example, lipoxygenase levels can be altered to improvedisease resistance and/or to improve the quality of the grain, resultingin improved flavor for beer, cereal, and other food products made fromthe grain. Another enzyme whose activity can be altered isbeta-glucanase for improved plant and/or grain quality. Yet anotherenzyme whose activity can be altered is polyphenol oxidase for improvedplant and/or grain quality.

Methods for Barley Transformation

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical plant transformation protocols. In addition,expression vectors and in vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissuetransformation and regeneration of plants are available.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation. One method for introducing anexpression vector into plants is based on the natural transformationsystem of Agrobacterium. A.tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes, which areplant pathogenic soil bacteria that genetically transform plant cells.The Ti and Ri plasmids of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes,respectively, carry genes responsible for genetic transformation of theplant.

Direct Gene Transfer. Several methods of plant transformation,collectively referred to as direct gene transfer, have been developed asan alternative to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A generallyapplicable method of plant transformation is microprojectile-mediatedtransformation, wherein DNA is carried on the surface ofmicroprojectiles measuring 1 to 4 pm. The expression vector isintroduced into plant tissues with a biolistic device that acceleratesthe microprojectiles to speeds of 300 to 600 m/s, which is sufficient topenetrate plant cell walls and membranes.

Another method for physical delivery of DNA to plants is sonication oftarget cells. Alternatively, liposome and spheroplast fusion can be usedto introduce expression vectors into plants. Direct uptake of DNA intoprotoplasts using CaCl₂ precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol orpolyL-omithine has also been reported. Electroporation of protoplastsand whole cells and tissues has also been described. Followingtransformation of barley target tissues, expression of theabove-described selectable marker genes allows for preferentialselection of transformed cells, tissues and/or plants, usingregeneration and selection methods.

The foregoing methods for transformation could be used for producing atransgenic variety. The transgenic variety could then be crossed withanother (non-transformed or transformed) variety in order to produce anew transgenic variety. Alternatively, a genetic trait that has beenengineered into a particular barley cultivar using the foregoingtransformation techniques could be moved into another cultivar usingtraditional backcrossing techniques that are known in the plant breedingarts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be used to move anengineered trait from a public, non-elite variety into an elite variety,or from a variety containing a foreign gene in its genome into a varietyor varieties that do not contain that gene. As used herein, “crossing”can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or the process of backcrossing,depending on the context.

Genetic Marker Profile Through SSR and First Generation Progeny

In addition to phenotypic observations, a plant can also be identifiedby its genotype. The genotype of a plant can be characterized through agenetic marker profile, which can identify plants of the same variety ora related variety or be used to determine or validate a pedigree.Genetic marker profiles can be obtained by techniques such asRestriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly AmplifiedPolymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms(AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) which are also referred to asmicrosatellites, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs).

Particular markers used for these purposes are not limited to anyparticular set of markers, but are envisioned to include any type ofmarker and marker profile that provides a means of distinguishingvarieties. One method of comparison is to use only homozygous loci forBG 2020.

In addition to being used for identification of barley cultivar BG 2020and plant parts and plant cells of cultivar BG 2020, the genetic profilemay be used to identify a barley plant produced through the use of BG2020 or to verify a pedigree for progeny plants produced through the useof BG 2020. The genetic marker profile can also be useful in breedingand developing backcross conversions.

Means of performing genetic marker profiles using SSR polymorphisms areknown. SSRs are genetic markers based on polymorphisms in repeatednucleotide sequences, such as microsatellites. A marker system based onSSRs can be highly informative in linkage analysis relative to othermarker systems in that multiple alleles may be present. Anotheradvantage of this type of marker is that, through use of flankingprimers, detection of SSRs can be achieved, for example, by thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR), thereby eliminating the need forlabor-intensive Southern hybridization. PCR detection uses twooligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic segment of repetitiveDNA. Repeated cycles of heat denaturation of the DNA, followed byannealing of the primers to their complementary sequences at lowtemperatures, and extension of the annealed primers with DNA polymerase,comprise the maj or part of the methodology.

Following amplification, markers can be scored by electrophoresis of theamplification products. Scoring of marker genotype is based on the sizeof the amplified fragment, which may be measured by the number of basepairs of the fragment. While variation in the primer used or inlaboratory procedures can affect the reported fragment size, relativevalues should remain constant regardless of the specific primer orlaboratory used. When comparing varieties, all SSR profiles may beperformed in the same lab.

The SSR profile of barley plant BG 2020 can be used to identify plantscomprising BG 2020 as a parent, since such plants will comprise the samehomozygous alleles as BG 2020. Because the barley variety is essentiallyhomozygous at all relevant loci, most loci should have only one type ofallele present. In contrast, a genetic marker profile of an F₁ progenyshould be the sum of those parents, e.g., if one parent was homozygousfor allele x at a particular locus, and the other parent homozygous forallele y at that locus, then the F₁ progeny will be xy (heterozygous) atthat locus. Subsequent generations of progeny produced by selection andbreeding are expected to be of genotype x (homozygous), y (homozygous),or xy (heterozygous) for that locus position. When the F₁ plant isselfed or sibbed for successive filial generations, the locus should beeither x or y for that position.

In addition, plants and plant parts substantially benefiting from theuse of BG 2020 in their development, such as BG 2020 comprising abackcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterility factor, may beidentified by having a molecular marker profile with a high percentidentity to BG 2020. In an embodiment, such a percent identity might be95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 99.9% identical to BG 2020.

The SSR profile of BG 2020 also can be used to identify essentiallyderived varieties and other progeny varieties developed from the use ofBG 2020, as well as cells and other plant parts thereof. Progeny plantsand plant parts produced using BG 2020 may be identified by having amolecular marker profile of at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%,60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%,86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or99.5% genetic contribution from BG 2020, as measured by either percentidentity or percent similarity. Such progeny may be furthercharacterized as being within a pedigree distance of BG 2020, such aswithin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more cross pollinations to a barley plant otherthan BG 2020 or a plant that has BG 2020 as a progenitor. Uniquemolecular profiles may be identified with other molecular tools such asSNPs and RFLPs.

While determining the SSR genetic marker profile of a plant as describedabove, several unique SSR profiles may also be identified that did notappear in either parent plant. Such unique SSR profiles may arise duringthe breeding process from recombination or mutation. A combination ofseveral unique alleles provides a means of identifying a plant variety,an F₁ progeny produced from such variety, and further progeny producedfrom such variety.

Gene Conversion

When the term “barley plant” is used in the context of the presentinnovation, this term also includes any gene conversions of thatvariety. Backcrossing methods can be used with the present innovation toimprove or introduce a characteristic into the variety. For example, avariety may be backcrossed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more times tothe recurrent parent. The parental barley plant that contributes thegene for the desired characteristic is termed the “nonrecurrent” or“donor” parent. This terminology refers to the fact that thenonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcross protocol andtherefore does not recur. The parental barley plant to which the gene orgenes from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred is known as therecurrent parent, as it is used for several rounds in the backcrossingprotocol. In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety ofinterest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrentparent) that carries the single gene of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a barley plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphological andphysiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered inthe converted plant, in addition to the single transferred gene from thenonrecurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent contributes to a successfulbackcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol is to alter orsubstitute a single trait or characteristic in the original variety. Toaccomplish this, a single gene of the recurrent variety is modified orsubstituted with the desired gene from the nonrecurrent parent, whileretaining essentially all of the rest of the desired genetic, andtherefore the desired physiological and morphological, constitution ofthe original variety. The choice of the particular nonrecurrent parentwill depend on the purpose of the backcross. One of the major purposesis to add commercially desirable, agronomically important traits to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance, it may benecessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

Many single gene traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new variety, but that can beimproved by backcrossing techniques. Single gene traits may or may notbe transgenic. Examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,male sterility, waxy starch, herbicide tolerance or resistance,resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insect resistance ortolerance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrialusage, yield stability, and yield enhancement. These genes are generallyinherited through the nucleus.

Mutation Breeding

Mutation breeding is another method of introducing new traits intobarley cultivar BG 2020. Mutations that occur spontaneously or areartificially induced can be useful sources of variability for a plantbreeder. The goal of artificial mutagenesis is to increase the rate ofmutation for a desired characteristic. Mutation rates can be increasedby many different means including temperature, long-term seed storage,tissue culture conditions, radiation, such as X-rays, Gamma rays (e.g.cobalt 60 or cesium 137), neutrons (product of nuclear fission byuranium 235 in an atomic reactor), Beta radiation (emitted fromradioisotopes such as phosphorus 32 or carbon 14), or ultravioletradiation (for example, from 2500 to 2900 nm), or chemical mutagens(such as base analogues (5-bromo-uracil), related compounds (8-ethoxycaffeine), antibiotics (streptonigrin), alkylating agents (sulfurmustards, nitrogen mustards, epoxides, ethylenamines, sulfates,sulfonates, sulfones, lactones), azide, hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, oracridines). Once a desired trait is observed through mutagenesis thetrait may then be incorporated into existing germplasm by traditionalbreeding techniques. In addition, mutations created in other barleyplants may be used to produce a backcross conversion of barley cultivarBG 2020 that comprises such mutations. Further embodiments include thetreatment of BG 2020 with a mutagen and the plant produced bymutagenesis of BG 2020.

Tables

In one aspect of the present disclosure, barley cultivar BG 2020 wastested for agronomic performance. Specifically, pounds of barley peracre and bushels produced per acre were examined for BG 2020 incomparison to three other barley varieties, specifically, BG 46e, BG012, and Champion. Additional agronomic performance metrics were testedas between the presently-disclosed BG 2020 and the varieties mentionedjust above. The following Tables 2 through 4 show this comparison. Ineach table, column 1 lists the cultivars that were compared (i.e., BG2020, BG 46e, BG 012, and Champion). Column 2 lists the number of poundsproduced per acre. Column 3 lists the number of bushels produced peracre. Column 4 lists test weights. Column 5 lists beta-glucan percentageperformed on a dry basis. Column 6 lists plant height, which is theaverage height in inches of the barley plants, as measured from theground level to the tip of the head, excluding awns. Column 7 listslodging values on a scale from 1 to 9. Column 8 lists the number of daysfrom planting to heading. Heading, as used herein, describes a specificdate in which the spike exertion from the boot occurs, or exertion fromthe flag leaf of the barley plant. The heading measurements listed inTable show the number of days between planting and when headingoccurred. Table 2 shows the information described above for testingconducted in 2016, while Table 3 shows testing results in 2017, andTable 4 shows testing results in 2018.

TABLE 2 Varietal Lbs./Acre Bu./Acre Test Weight B.G. % Height (in.)Lodging Heading BG 2020 3389.3 70.6 47.7 18.1 31.9 3.0 153.0 BG 1043065.5 63.9 46.2 20.6 23.8 4.0 159.0 BG 012 2620.5 54.6 54.8 8.8 25.01.0 156.5 Champion 4915.0 102.4 52.5 2.5 35.2 2.0 155.0

TABLE 3 Varietal Lbs./Acre Bu./Acre Test Weight B.G. % Height (in.)Lodging Heading BG 2020 4737.1 98.7 45.4 15.4 32.0 3.0 171.0 BG 1043919.1 81.6 43.5 18.1 24.0 0.0 177.5 BG 012 4217.3 87.9 47.0 8.1 25.30.0 173.5 Champion 6060.5 126.3 50.4 3.7 32.2 2.7 174.5

TABLE 4 Varietal Lbs./Acre Bu./Acre Test Weight B.G. % Height (in.)Lodging Heading BG 2020 4108.3 85.6 50.6 15.2 37.9 1.2 160.7 BG 1043603.9 75.1 48.3 18.5 27.4 0.4 168.6 BG 012 4224.5 88.0 56.7 7.8 30.00.3 164.4 Champion 6176.7 128.7 52.9 4.4 34.9 1.8 165.3

As can be seen from the results shown in Tables 2-4, BG 2020 exhibitsincreased grain yields both in terms of pounds produced per acre andbushels produced per acre as compared to BG 104 and BG 012.Additionally, BG 2020 exhibits decreased heading time as compared to BG46e, BG 012, and BG 104. This results in a barley plant that producesmore barley per acre over a shorter period of time as compared to otherbarley cultivars.

Deposit Information

A deposit of the barley cultivar BG 2020 disclosed above and recited inthe appended claims has been made with the American Type CultureCollection (ATCC), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia 20110.The date of deposit was ______ and the accession number for thosedeposited seeds of barley cultivar BG 2020 is ATCC Accession No. ______.All restrictions on this deposit have been removed, and the deposit isintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.801-1.809.The deposit will be maintained in the depository for a period of thirtyyears, or five years after the last request, or for the enforceable lifeof the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessaryduring that period.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can bemade and executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the compositions and methods of this disclosure havebeen described in terms of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, itwill be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations, changes,modifications, and alterations may be applied to the composition,methods, and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methodsdescribed herein, without departing from the true concept, spirit, andscope of the disclosure. More specifically, it will be apparent thatcertain agents that are both chemically and physiologically related maybe substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similarresults would be achieved. All such similar substitutes andmodifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to bewithin the spirit, scope, and concept of the innovation as defined bythe appended claims.

Although the application describes embodiments having specificstructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features oracts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are merelyillustrative of some embodiments that fall within the scope of theclaims of the application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plant of barley cultivar BG 2020, wherein asample of seed of the barley cultivar BG 2020 has been deposited underATCC Accession No.______.
 2. A plant part of the plant of claim 1,wherein the plant part comprises at least one cell of the plant.
 3. Theplant part of claim 2, further defined as head, awn, leaf, pollen,ovule, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl, meristematic cell, root, root tip,pistil, anther, floret, seed, pericarp, spike, stem, or callus.
 4. Aseed from the plant of claim
 1. 5. A tissue culture produced from theplant part of claim
 3. 6. A barley plant regenerated from the tissueculture of claim
 5. 7. A seed of barley cultivar BG 2020, arepresentative sample of the seed of the barley cultivar BG 2020 wasdeposited under ATCC Accession No.______.
 8. A barley plant, or a partthereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 7. 9. A method ofproducing a barley seed comprising crossing two barley plants andharvesting the resultant barley seed, wherein at least one barley plantis the barley plant of claim
 8. 10. A barley seed produced by the methodof claim 9, wherein the seed comprises all morphological andphysiological characteristics of barley cultivar BG
 2020. 11. A barleyplant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 10. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises crossing the plantof barley cultivar BG 2020 with a second, distinct barley plant toproduce an F₁ hybrid barley seed.
 13. The method of claim 12,comprising: (a) crossing a plant grown from the F₁ hybrid barley seedwith itself or a different barley plant to produce a seed of a firstprogeny plant of a second generation; (b) growing a plant from the seedof the first progeny plant of the second generation and crossing thefirst progeny plant of the second generation with itself or a secondplant to produce a seed of a second progeny plant of a third generation;and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) using the second progeny plant ofthe third generation from step (b) in place of the plant grown from theF₁ hybrid barley seed in step (a), wherein steps (a) and (b) arerepeated with sufficient inbreeding to produce an inbred barley plantderived from the barley cultivar BG 2020 that comprises allmorphological and physiological characteristics of barley cultivar BG2020.
 14. A composition comprising the seed of claim 7 comprised inplant seed growth media.
 15. The composition of claim 14, wherein thegrowth media is soil or a synthetic cultivation medium.
 16. A method ofproducing a commodity plant product comprising collecting a commodityplant product from the plant of claim
 1. 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the commodity plant product is grain, flour, bran, baked goods,cereals, pasta, beverages, malts, or medicines.
 18. The barley commodityplant product produced by the method of claim 17, wherein the commodityplant product comprises at least one cell of barley cultivar BG 2020.19. A plant produced by introducing a single locus conversion intobarley cultivar BG 2020, or a selfed progeny thereof comprising thesingle locus conversion, wherein the single locus conversion isintroduced into the barley cultivar BG 2020 by backcrossing or genetictransformation and wherein a sample of seed of barley cultivar BG 2020has been deposited under ATCC Accession No. ______, wherein the plantcomprises all morphological and physiological characteristics of barleycultivar BG
 2020. 20. The plant of claim 19, wherein the single locusconversion comprises a transgene.
 21. A seed that produces the plant ofclaim
 19. 22. The seed of claim 21, wherein the single locus confersmale sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, abiotic stressresistance, altered seed amino acid composition, site-specific geneticrecombination, modified carbohydrate metabolism, or a combinationthereof.
 23. The seed of claim 22, wherein the single locus conferstolerance to glyphosate, sulfonylurea, imidazolinone, dicamba,glufosinate, phenoxy proprionic acid, L-phosphinothricin, cyclohexone,cyclohexanedione, triazine, benzonitrile, or a combination thereof. 24.The seed of claim 21, wherein the single locus conversion comprises atransgene.